Mobile County School Superintendent Roy Nichols cheers to the supporters after reading the results from the tax renewal vote Tuesday March 22, 2011 at the Committee for Children headquarters in Mobile, Ala. (Press-Register/John David Mercer)

MOBILE, Alabama -- Roy Nichols said he didn’t know exactly what to expect when he took over as the Mobile County schools superintendent four years ago.

Nichols, who’ll be retiring Friday, knew he’d have to be stern, to ensure that the school board stopped decades of micromanagement.

He knew he’d face challenges, especially having to restore enough trust in the community to get residents to vote to renew an important property tax worth $50 million annually to the schools, which they did.

But he didn’t know that almost his entire tenure would be plagued with state budget cuts and proration, that he would eliminate about 1,000 teaching and other jobs, and that he would close five schools, all while negotiating with cities that wanted to split from the county school district.

"It’s always difficult when you’re cutting the budget and that means cutting jobs and people are going to lose their livelihood," Nichols said during an exit interview with the Press-Register on Friday. "That’s extremely difficult, and it did not weigh lightly on my mind. I knew that people would be out of jobs and be in a bind. My role was to do what was best for the school system. I believe I did that. But it still weighed heavily on me to be putting people out on the street, as it were."

After an unsuccessful search for his replacement last month, the school board named Deputy Superintendent Martha Peek to take over the system on an interim basis until a replacement can be found, hopefully by summer.

Nichols, meanwhile, is moving home to LaGrange, Ga., with his wife, Fran, to be closer to his new grandson, Wyatt.

During a retirement reception Wednesday several people who have worked closely with Nichols said he was a thoughtful leader, patient enough to take the time to listen, but tough enough to make the big decisions.

He never seemed nervous or agitated, they said. He was oftentimes a man of few words as he quietly checked accomplishments off his to-do list.

"You always did exactly what you said you would do," George Hall Elementary teacher Melanie Winter said.

Nichols was exactly what the Mobile County school district — with 61,000 students and 94 schools — needed, according to Castlen Elementary Principal Pam Adams. An academically focused man, he led with integrity, wisdom and "good common sense," she said.

"There was never a sense of panic even though there was huge responsibility," Adams said. "You would roll up your sleeves and go to work."

"I doubt you ever dreamed you’d be superintendent of the Mobile County Public School System," she added, "but you truly accomplished more than anyone could imagine."

As one of five finalists for the job in 2008, some thought Nichols — whose only tie to Alabama was a stint as a middle school administrator in Birmingham in the 1970s — was a long shot to become the next superintendent. An educator whose career spanned more than 40 years and included three other posts as superintendent, Nichols made it clear during his interview that he would not tolerate micromanagement by the local school board.

Nichols was a compromise candidate who was selected on a 3-2 vote by the school board.

Even after he was chosen, it took him weeks to negotiate his contract with the school board that included boundaries for their behavior. He said the relationship between the board and superintendent have improved greatly as a result. Board members have agreed, giving him glowing reviews.

Nichols said he’s had to remind several board members to step back "several times, some more than others. Most of them know where the line is. They just want to creep up to it as close as they can get without stepping over and sometimes they accidentally fall over and I have to re-establish the line," he said.

Nichols, who received a $195,000 yearly salary, plus a $30,000 annual retirement account here, said he believes he made the right decisions as nearly $100 million in state funding was cut from the Mobile County schools budget over his four years. During that time, Mobile County was actually able to keep money in its state-required reserve account, which many other districts statewide have depleted.

And the county system, in spite of its high number of students coming from poor families, has received several statewide and national awards for student achievement.

Nichols himself was just named the state’s Superintendent of the Year by the Alabama Parent Teacher Association.

Peek said that she knew as soon as she met Nichols, with his commanding presence and academic knowledge, that he was superintendent material.

"As I look for the next superintendent," said board President Levon Manzie, "I’m looking for the same aspects as this superintendent."

Nichols said he hopes he’s remembered here for being "a good school man."

"If they think of me as a good educator," Nichols said, "that will be enough."